Controlled cavitation reactors for treating commercial fluid flows are known. U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,465,642; 8,430,968; 7,507,014; 7,360,755; and 6,627,784, all owned by the assignee of the present patent application, disclose variations of controlled cavitation reactors. These patents are hereby incorporated by reference. Controlled cavitation reactors such as those disclosed in the incorporated references have proven highly effective and efficient for a variety purposes including, for instance, liquid-gas mixing, extraction of sugars and starches from biomaterial, promoting electrochemical reactions, emulsification, oxidation, hydrogenation, hydration, and a variety of other industrial applications. Problems have persisted, however, when those controlled cavitation reactors have been used to treat fluid flows that are inherently abrasive in nature. More specifically, fluids containing abrasive compounds such as small pieces of sand, rock, glass, shells, and fibrous cellulose flowing through controlled cavitation reactors have tended to abrade and erode internal components of controlled cavitation reactors. Oil field drilling mud is an example of an abrasive fluid. The internal abrasion can lead to degraded performance and eventually to mechanical failure. As a result, controlled cavitation reactors in the past have not been particularly suited for treating flows of abrasive fluids.
A need exists for a controlled cavitation reactor capable of treating flows of abrasive fluids with a minimum of abrasive damage to internal surfaces and components of the reactor. It is to the provision of such a controlled cavitation reactor that the present invention is primarily directed.